sábado, 10 de março de 2012

Leon Russell - Stop All That Jazz (repost)

Leon Russell - Stop All That Jazz - 1974

Leon Russell has been a major
force in music for more than four decades. He began playing the
piano when he was just three years old. By the age of 14, he
picked up a trumpet, formed his own band, lied about his age and
managed to get a gig in a Tulsa nightclub. Over the next few
years, he played and toured with various groups and artists that
included Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1958, he moved to Los Angeles and
shortly thereafter began working with legendary producer Phil
Spector as part of the infamous "Wall of Sound." Leon quickly
became a much sought after session player, recording with or
writing songs for The Byrds, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Herb
Alpert, Barbra Streisand, and Frank Sinatra. By the early
sixties, he was playing with Gary Paxton (Hollywood Argyles),
Bobby "Boris" Pickett (Monster Mash/Cryptkickers) and David
Gates (later of Bread.) Russell's solo career leapt forward when
Russell and Denny Cordell assembled the all-star 43-member
entourage for Joe Cocker's notorious "Mad Dogs and Englishmen"
American tour. Leon and his band, The Shelter People, were
featured prominently on Cocker's cover of the Box Top's "The
Letter," (a top 10 hit in late spring of 1970). Shortly
afterward, Leon and Denny Cordell formed Shelter Records and
released the first Leon Russell album. Leon continued to accept
high-profile invitations for session work, playing with the
Rolling Stones, Dave Mason, and Bob Dylan. On August 1, 1971, he
was featured with George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and
Bob Dylan in the "Concert For Bangladesh", at New York's Madison
Square Garden. READ MORE HERE